Parents face £60 fines or prosecution if kids turn up late for school

Lateness: One school in Essex has told parents fines will be doubled if not paid for three weeks
Shutterstock / sirtravelalot
Tom Powell2 July 2017

Parents have been threatened with £60 fines or prosecution if their children repeatedly show up late for school.

A string of schools and councils across Essex, Hampshire and the West Midlands are clamping down on lateness by extending the fixed penalties issued for missing school to include lateness.

Warwickshire county council said families of pupils who often arrive more than 30 minutes after the register was taken may face fines, the Sunday Times reported.

Winter Gardens Academy, in Canvey Island, Essex, sparked controversy when earlier this year it also warned parents about fines for arriving after 9am.

The primary school, which was placed on special measures following its most recent Ofsted inspection, said the fee could rise to £120 if not paid within three weeks.

Tom Bennett, the government’s behaviour Tsar, suggested said the parents of teenagers who regularly arrived late for school should consider walking with them.

“Most pupils would rather lose an arm than be seen walking up to school with their parents,” he told the Times.

Schools have had the power to fine the families of truants since Labour brought in the laws in 2003.

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